Having completed just his second season as head coach of the Bison football program, Bill Garvey had the Green & White in the post season for the first time since the 1980 campaign. In 2014, Garvey helped the Bison to a 6-4 regular season record, their best season since the 2001 campaign. The Bison also captured five wins in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play for the first time since 1981. Following the season, Bethany was invited to play in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Bowl against Stevenson University, Bethany's first post-season appearance in 34 years.

In his two year tenure with the Green & White, the Bison have improved in each season. He currently boasts a regular season record of 10-10 through the first 20 games of his career, the second best record of any coach through 20 games in the history of the program (H.M. Buland was 12-8 bettwen the years of 1920-1921.)

2014 was a solid year for the Bison, as Garvey had Bethany playing well on the road. This season, Bethany posted a 4-1 regular season record away from Bison Stadium, which included wins over Case Western Reserve (25-14) and Thiel (45-24).

In 2014, Garvey also displayed his ability to get the most out of his players, having 15 Bison named to All-PAC teams, including four first-team selections: seniors Stephen Amic and Wyssmy Despagne, and juniors Eric Blinn and Nadim Raddar. Raddar was also named the 2014 PAC Defensive Player of the Year. Over two years, Coach Garvey has helped the program see 25 all-conference selections.

In his first season at the helm of the Bison, Bethany notched a 4-4 record in conference play for the first time since 2008. That year, Bethany ended a 33-year winless streak against W&J (24-19) while also defeating Waynesburg, 27-20. It marked the first time ever that the Bison had defeated the two schools in the same year in the program’s history.

Under the offensive direction of Garvey, the Bison boasted the most prolific passing offense in the conference in 2013, averaging a league best 311.9 yards per game through the air. Senior quarterback Matt Grimard and sophomore wideout Eric Blinn also shattered the Bison record books. Grimard threw for 3,100 yards and 23 touchdowns, while Blinn hauled in 95 catches for 1,300 yards and eight scores.

In four years under Coach Garvey, Grimard broke 19 single-game, single-season and career school records. Also, upon his graduation, Grimard was the career active leader in total yards, posting 11,560 in four seasons.

Garvey served as the offensive coordinator of the Bison for the last seven years and is the architect of some of the most dominant offensive seasons in school history.

During his tenure as the offensive coordinator, 69 school records have been broken, re-broken or tied, including three by receiver Eric Blinn in 2014. One of Garvey’s greatest strengths is his ability to adapt his system to the players in the program. In 2008, the Bison set a new single-season record for passing yards, but then shifted gears in 2010 and the team rushed for 2,024 yards, second-most in one year at the school.

Not only has Garvey built one of the most dynamic offenses in the region, his work on the recruiting trails has helped the Bison consistently field rosters of more than 140 players over the last several years. The 2014 recruiting class brought in by the Bison coaching staff featured more than 80 players from 18 states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, as well as the tri-state area.

Garvey came to Bethany after spending two seasons as an assistant at Stonehill (Mass.) College, an NCAA Division II program that plays in the Northeast-10 Conference. Prior to his time at Stonehill, Garvey was an assistant at Harvard University from 2000-2004. He started his coaching career at Hofstra University in New York, working as a graduate assistant from 1997-99.

Garvey attended Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he was a three-year member of the football team and was on the 1993 squad that captured the MAAC championship. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems.

Garvey and his wife, Gina, reside in Bethany with their children Emma (10), Will (9), Jack (4), and Grace (3).

Jacoby Watkins is in his fourth year on the Bison staff and third as the defensive coordinator. He will also coach the defensive backs for a fourth season.

In 2013, the Bison continued to make strides on the defensive side of the ball, as Watkins coached six different players to All-PAC status, including First-Team All-Conference defensive back, Wyssmy Despagne. Others who were named all conference performers included lineman Jarrett Rahymes, linebacker Larry Kapadehyea, defensive backs Dion Williams and Aaron Frye, as well as punter Stephen Amic.

Watkins’ work with the defensive backfield helped Bethany rank as the #1 pass defense in the PAC in 2012 with 155.5 passing yards per game. Teams also completed just 53 percent of their passes during the year, the second-lowest percentage in the league.

Watkins came to Bethany after serving three years as the assistant athletic director at Seventy First High School in Fayetteville, N.C. In addition to his administrative duties, Watkins was the defensive passing game coordinator and receivers coach and helped the Falcons football program win the 2008 North Carolina 4A State Championship, as well as the 2010 Mid-South Conference title. The 2008 title team, which finished 14-2 that year, was the top-ranked scoring defense in the state and ranked in the top five in total defense.

Watkins attended the University of North Carolina and was a four-year letterman for the Tar Heels’ football team. His top season statistically was his sophomore year in 2004 when he posted 61 total tackles and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week after making five stops and picking off two passes in a 34-13 victory over Georgia Tech. That season, Watkins helped UNC earn a bid to the Continental Tire Bowl and for his career, he recorded 136 tackles and 14 passes broken-up.

Following his collegiate career, Watkins signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He also had a stint with the Hamilton Tiger-cats of the Canadian Football League.

Watkins graduated from North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration in December, 2006. He is currently enrolled in Bethany’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Andy Upton is now in his 11th year with the Bethany program. He has been the wide receivers coach for eight seasons and also serves as the assistant head coach.

The 2013 season was a prolific one for the Bison receiving core, as they had two players with eight or more touchdown receptions. Furthermore, First-Team All-PAC selection sophomore Eric Blinn had a breakout season under Upton, leading the league in receptions (9.5) and receiving yards per game (130.0). Blinn also finished the year ranked second in all of Division-III in receptions per game, third in receiving yards, and eighth in all-purpose yards per contest (185.5).

Bethany finished the 2012 season with the top passing offense in the PAC. The team totaled 260.5 yards per game through the air and finished with a 136.7 passing efficiency. Under his direction, three Bison receivers finished in the top five in the PAC in receptions per game, and Blinn was second in the conference in receiving yards per contest (79.0). During Upton’s time leading the wide receivers, that group has accumulated 14 All-PAC honors and broken 16 school records.

Upton came to Bethany after spending five years as an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.Va., where he worked with the wide receivers, tight ends and special teams. He helped lead the Bobcats to the 2002 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Championship.

Prior to his time at West Virginia Wesleyan, Upton worked for a season at his alma mater, West Virginia Institute of Technology, where he coached the wide receivers.

Upton graduated from West Virginia Institute of Technology in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, with an emphasis on Marketing. He received his Master of Business Administration from West Virginia Wesleyan in 2001.

Upton, who is also the head men’s and women’s track and field head coach at Bethany, and his wife Rebecca, who is the Bison’s head women’s basketball coach, reside in Wellsburg with their son Christopher (5).

Chad Boskat is in his third year at Bethany as the helm of the defensive line.

In two seasons with the Bison, the defensive line has improved statistically in each season under Boskat’s tutlage. He has coached two players to All-Conference status, including Jarret Rahymes in 2013 and Blake DeBoard in 2012. The line also upped its sack total in 2013. After posting 16 in 2012, the defensive front captured 19 last season, led by freshman Khallid Pierce who totaled seven.

Prior to his time with the Bison, Boskat spent the 2011 season as an assistant coach at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, prior to making the move to Bethany. In addition to being the head defensive line coach, he assisted with the preparation of the defensive game plan, helped breakdown offensive and defensive game film and recruited, concentrating mainly in the Chicago and St. Louis area.

Boskat’s coaching career began in 2010 at his alma mater Washington & Jefferson. He was the assistant defensive line and special teams coach for the Presidents, who finished 9-2 that year and defeated Franklin & Marshall in an ECAC Bowl. Boskat was also a three-year letterman on the field for W&J on the defensive line. The program sported a 40-7 record during his career, won the 2006 and 2007 PAC championships, earned berths in the NCAA Playoffs all four years and reached the 2008 quarterfinals.

A native of Jamestown, N.Y., Boskat graduated from W&J in May, 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. He is currently enrolled in Bethany’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Steve Terlesky is currently in his second season with the Bison football program and will be in charge of the linebackers for the second-straight season in 2014.

Terlesky demonstrated his coaching ability from the start, helping sophomore linebacker Larry Kapadehyea receive an All-PAC honorable mention nod. Last season, Kapadehyea ranked second among all PAC linebackers in sacks (3.5) and tied for fifth in the conference in tackles for loss among his counterparts (8.0).

Prior to his time at Bethany, Terlesky was an assistant at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. where he coached the defensive backs. During that two year stretch, Terlesky coached three All-ODAC defensive backs. The defense also ranked first in interceptions in the ODAC during a 5-5 campaign in 2012.

Before his stint with Guilford, Terlesky spent four seasons with Ursinus College where he served in multiple facets, including coaching the linebackers, defensive line and defensive backs during different times of his tenure. During that time he coached three different players to All-Centennial Conference distinction, and helped the team to three-straight winning seasons between 2009 and 2011.

As a player, Terlesky spent three seasons at West Virginia University before playing his final year at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Terlesky, a 2004 graduate of West Virginia University, will be enrolled in Bethany’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program during his time with the Bison. Steve and his wife Rebecca reside in Saint Clairsville, Ohio and are expecting their first child in January.

Anthony Pedrotti is in his second season with the Bison football program, with the task of coaching the offensive line.

Recently, Pedrotti earned his cirtification as a USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach and is now an official member of the National Governing Body for the sport of Weightlifting in the United States.

In 2014 Pedrotti coached two individual linemen to All-PAC honors, including a second-team distinction for junior Beau Bertus. The offensive line made a big jump in the 2014 campaign, helping the Bison go from 104 yards per game rushing in 2013 to 185.6 yards per game this season.

Eight times this season the Bethany O-line helped the Bison eclipse 100 yards on the ground, with the team going over 200 yards on four separate occasions. The line helped clear the way for four 100-yard rushers this season, and blocked for two in the same contest against Saint Vincent on November 15. The linemen helped the Bison rumble for 336 yards against the Bearcats, marking the most rushing yards by the team since September 11, 2010.

In 2013, Pedrotti, while in charge of the running backs, improved the ground game, having two backs average five yards or more per carry.

Prior to coming to Bethany, Pedrotti was a four-year member of the offensive line at SUNY-Cortland, where he was a member for four, winning seasons and two NCAA playoff appearances.

During his time with the Red Dragons, Pedrotti helpped the program to a 38-10 overall record in four seasons.

Prior to his college experience, Pedrotti was a member of West Genesee High School’s, 2007 state championship program, the first championship in the school’s history.

A graduate of SUNY-Cortland, Pedrotti will be enrolled in Bethany’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Zack Gordon officially joins the Bison coaching staff after serving as a student assistant last season. In 2013, Gordon was an assistant wide receivers and special teams coach where he helped run both individual and group drills during practices.

During game days, Gordon worked on the sidelines as the assistant wide receivers coach, where he helped the Bison offense put up great numbers in the passing game, to the tune of 310.0 yards per contest. He also helped sophomore Eric Blinn garner First-Team All-PAC distinction, ranking second in all of Division-III in receiving yard (1,300), receiving yards per game (130.0) and recptions per contest (9.5).

Prior to helping on the sidelines, Gordon was a four-year member of the Bison football team from 2009-2012. During his time as a Bison, he played and started in all 30 games between his sophomore, junior and senior seasons on special teams. He also appeared in all 30 games as a wideout. In 2012, he was honored by the team as the Bison's Special Teams Player of the Year.

Gage Lotozo enters his first season as a member of the Bethany coaching staff and will be in charge of the running backs in 2014.

A four-year member of the Bison football team, Lotozo was a three-year starter for the Green & White at linebacker. Over the course of his career, Lotozo totaled 126 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He graduated from Bethany with a degree in History in 2012.

A native of Somerset, Ohio, Lotozo will be enrolled in Bethany’s Master of Arts in Teaching program in 2014.